April 11, 2017, San Francisco — At the threshold of this sacred and holy season, when our Christian and Jewish sisters and brothers observe and celebrate the hope of new life and liberation from oppression, we are reminded that terrorism takes no holiday.

Gruesome images of torturous atrocities committed by Islamist militants (so-called ISIS) against Coptic Christians in Egypt, praying on Palm Sunday in their sacred sanctuaries, justifiably haunt the consciences of those who live in lands where the freedom to practice religion is enshrined in and protected by the laws by which they are governed.

As San Francisco Bay Area religious leaders, we speak out with a unified voice to decry these acts of horror and denounce all expressions and acts of religious persecution. We pray for those who have perished and all who have suffered as the result of these crimes against humanity.

We recognize that these actions of so-called ISIS and other terrorist groups, perpetrated in the name of Islam and the Quran, do not reflect the true image and teachings of Islam, and we stand in solidarity with the great number of Muslims who abhor what is being done in the name of their religion.

We affirm the common aspiration of all religious teaching and traditions: the propagation of peace, justice, nonviolence, and civil and human rights for all of creation.

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